Lena Dunham supports Kesha in powerful essay

By Gemma Strong

February 23, 2016

Lena Dunham is the latest celebrity to speak out in support of Kesha, who has been denied a preliminary injunction against producer Dr Luke. Lena joins a host of female stars who are distraught over the judge's ruling regarding a man the singer is accusing of "sexual and drug-related assault."

In her
Lenny Letter newsletter on Tuesday, Lena published an essay titled 'Why Kesha's Case Is About More Than Kesha', which begins: "When I saw the outcome of Kesha's court case last Friday I felt sick."

Lena Dunham has penned a powerful essay in support of Kesha

After outlining the details of the case, Lena continues: "To be clear, Kesha's case is about more than a pop star fighting for her freedom, or a $60million investment in a shiny commercial career.

"It's about more than whether Kesha can strap on her cool leotards and make another album, free from a man who she says terrifies her. It's even about more than the misogyny of the entertainment industry, or the way that women in music and film have long been controlled and coerced by abusive Svengalis and entities larger than themselves…

"What's happening to Kesha highlights the way that the American legal system continues to hurt women by failing to protect them from the men they identify as their abusers."

Kesha pictured leaving court after Friday's ruling

The
Girls actress added: "The fact is Kesha will never have a doctor's note. She will never have a videotape that shows us that Gottwald (Dr Luke) threatened and shamed her, and she will never be able to prove, beyond the power of her testimony, that she is unsafe doing business with this man. And no, none of this was in her contract. But what man, what company endeavors to keep a woman saddled with someone who she says has caused her years of trauma, shame, and fear?

"Fighting this fight publicly and in the legal system has already changed the course and tenor of her career forever. The lack of perspective on the part of Sony — the inability to look at the worth of a woman's platinum records versus the worth of her soul being intact — is horrifying."

Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr Luke in October 2014 saying he had been abusive towards her

Lena also praised the artists and musicians who have
spoken out in support of the 28-year-old. "The public outcry about Kesha's case has been truly heartening: the swell of shock and indignation from fans and fellow performers alike.

"It wasn't long ago that women in the public eye didn't have a loose-enough leash to reach out and support one another, for fear of losing all they had worked so hard to create. Instead they quietly watched on their televisions, hoping they wouldn't be next. Those days are over.

"…We are not scared anymore of losing what we worked for, of being branded hysterical or difficult, of being targeted and silenced by men in power. The women in the music industry speaking out for Kesha are proof. And their words will reverberate, inspiring the young women watching them for clues about the good life to speak up too. Soon, no one will accept shame and fear as the status quo. And so, while Kesha is indefinitely silenced, her voice has never been louder."

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